Now that Apple's Vision Pro spatial computing headset has launched in the United States, when will it become available to buy in other countries? Here's what we know.
Officially, Apple has said that following the U.S. launch of Apple Vision Pro on February 2, 2024, the device will be coming to more countries later in the year, though the company has so far stopped short of officially revealing which countries and when exactly.
Fortunately, that's not the final word on the subject. According to insider sources at Apple cited by well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the launch of Vision Pro in other countries around the world will not "actually be that much later" than its release in the United States.
While an exact launch date for the Vision Pro hasn't been announced, it is expected to expand to additional countries after this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, which is set to take place from June 10 to June 14.
More recently, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said shipments to the U.K., France, Germany, China, Japan, and Singapore, are set to begin before the middle of June 2024. Separately, MacRumors is aware that some Apple Stores in the UK recently received large deliveries on pallets, believed to be couches designed for Vision Pro demos, that staff are not yet allowed to open.
In addition, code discovered by MacRumors suggests Apple will soon add 12 new languages to the virtual keyboard on the Vision Pro. Right now, the device's virtual keyboard only supports English (US), which makes sense given that it is only available in the United States.
To bring the Vision Pro to new countries, Apple needs to add support for additional languages. The code indicates the following languages will be added:
- Cantonese, Traditional
- Chinese, Simplified
- English (Australia)
- English (Canada)
- English (Japan)
- English (Singapore)
- English (UK)
- French (Canada)
- French (France)
- German (Germany)
- Japanese
- Korean
It's likely that these language additions hint at the countries where Apple will launch the Vision Pro next, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the UK. Hong Kong and Taiwan are also potential candidates.
International Launch in First Half of 2024?
During a recent tour of China, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the Vision Pro headset will go on sale in China later this year. It was the first explicit confirmation of a specific country other than the United States that the Vision Pro will launch in 2024.
Separately, well-regarded Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple will likely launch its Vision Pro headset outside the United States before Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024. Kuo bases his prediction on information that suggests Apple plans to share new details about visionOS – the device's operating system – with developers around the globe at its upcoming developers conference.
Kuo explained that Apple's reasoning for keeping sales of the Vision Pro exclusive to the United States at first is due to limited supply, a wish to ensure that the sales process goes smoothly before expanding it, and to provide time to modify its software to be suitable for other countries. Once these issues have been resolved, Kuo believes the Vision Pro will go on sale in more countries.
Apple does not anticipate partnering with third-party resellers to offer the Vision Pro until at least 2025, due to the complex supply chain logistics and staff training involved in handling the device and advising customers, according to Gurman.
For everything we know about Apple Vision Pro, check out our dedicated roundup, and be sure to regularly check back at MacRumors.com for all Vision Pro and other Apple-related developments, wherever you are in the world.
